Marlborough might be about to lose one of its quirkiest claims to fame: being a region with no permanent traffic lights.
The topic came up at a recent council meeting after a local resident submitted a request for traffic lights at a busy Blenheim intersection, where State Highway 1 meets State Highway 6 and Dillons Point Road. The submitter said they often waited 10 to 15 minutes to get through the roundabout there and felt that better traffic management was needed.
While councillors noted that the particular roundabout is managed by Waka Kotahi rather than the council, the discussion sparked a bigger conversation. It turns out traffic lights are already planned for Picton, on Lagoon Road near the ferry terminal, to help vehicles cross safely in a restricted port zone. Port Marlborough confirmed the lights this week.
Councillor Allanah Burgess called it “the first permanent traffic light” for Marlborough, which caused some excitement around the council table. Mayor Nadine Taylor said that even though the Picton lights would not be part of the council’s road network, “the ice is broken.”
Blenheim is thought to be the largest town in New Zealand without traffic lights, with a population of around 29,800. Masterton is close behind at 28,900 and also has none. The region has long preferred roundabouts, and the idea of traffic lights has divided locals for years.
